(That explains why she shows up so much in his work.)_________________I'm writing a novel in verse. 150 stanzas so far, 3 chapters completed, 41% the length of Onegin. Goal: 170 stanzas by December 31.

cinemediapromo
Captain

Joined: Jan 18, 2008
Member#: 20035
Posts: 1007

Posted:
Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:13 pm Post subject: The Cape/Bear McCreary

Visit the links below to hear a sneak peek of the theme music for The Cape, composed by Bear McCreary. The Cape premieres this Sunday on NBC.

I know, it looks like I'm just creating links to Bear's blog, but I thought this might be worth the attention of some of his fans who don't read it regularly. That is, of course, if that actually describes anyone.

Anyway. Makes me wish I hadn't stopped playing piano. Or had a piano._________________I'm writing a novel in verse. 150 stanzas so far, 3 chapters completed, 41% the length of Onegin. Goal: 170 stanzas by December 31.

Summer Projects Include Play for Japan, World Premiere Performances in Spain, and New Audio and Video Recordings

(Los Angeles, CA – June 2, 2011) Composer Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, The Cape, Battlestar Galactica) thinks globally with his summer vacation. McCreary has contributed a new track to the Play For Japan benefit album, is conducting two performances of his music at the 7th International Film Music Festival Ciudad de Úbeda, and will see several soundtracks released. In addition, twice a month McCreary is uploading videos of him playing piano arrangements of his music from Battlestar Galactica, to a newly launched Youtube channel.

Following the recent earthquake, tsunami and its aftermath, composer Akira Yamaoka reached out to the video game community and put together the Play for Japan album. The album, which will be released on June 6th, will benefit the Japanese Red Cross. Bear McCreary contributed the original track, Maverick Regeneration.

Said McCreary, “It's using a lot of the 8-bit sounds that I used in Dark Void Zero, and then I evolve them over the course of the track into the sound in contemporary gaming. In many ways the track is an homage to the 8-bit Nintendo era, but it also takes those sounds and brings them into the contemporary era of video game music.”

On July 21st, as part of the 7th International Film Music Festival Ciudad de Úbeda, Bear will be conducting two performances of his works, including an hour-long intimate chamber recital featuring world premiere arrangements of music from The Walking Dead, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Caprica, and Battlestar Galactica.

Two days later, on July 23rd, he will be conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra of Málaga boasting a world premiere concert suite of his Emmy™-nominated score for Human Target along with selections from The Cape and Dark Void. McCreary, who earned the festival’s Goldspirit Award for Best Television Score Human Target, will also be conducting a Film Scoring Workshop for festival attendees.

“This concert will be the first time I’ve ever performed the score from many of these projects,” said McCreary, “including the full-orchestral Human Target suite. Narrowing the scores down to my favorite selections is proving quite challenging!”

This summer will also see the release of several soundtracks for McCreary. First off SOCOM 4, which was released digitally in April and a special limited edition two-CD set released in May. Later this summer the soundtrack for THE CAPE will also be released.

Because SOCOM 4 is set in Asia, Bear had an expanded palate of instruments to choose from. “The vast array of instruments at my disposal left me with an embarrassment of riches as I first began composing.” McCreary described, “The gamelan orchestra was the most exciting to me personally, since I’d never written for it before. However, I also relied on the ethnic strings and woodwinds for my melodic writing. The arsenal of taiko drums alone could fill an action cue with energy.”

He continued, “But I also had a full symphonic orchestra at my disposal, which couldn’t be ignored. And simultaneously, the electric soloists and custom electronics gave me an entirely different musical toolbox to draw from.”

While SOCOM 4 gave McCreary a wide range of sounds to use, another of his endeavors involved stripping it all down. McCreary revisited Battlestar Galactica and recently released the Battlestar Galactica Piano Music Book for Hal Leonard Publishing. To celebrate its release, McCreary created a Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/bearmccreary) and twice a month throughout the summer will be uploading videos of him performing these works on the piano. He is inviting his fans to do the same, and will be giving out autographed memorabilia to creators of his favorite videos at the end of the summer.

“Thanks to vocal fan support, the piano music book of my Battlestar Galactica score is finally available,” said McCreary. “So many fans have filmed their own performances of my music, I wanted to do the same.”

Bear McCreary was among a handful of select protégés of late film music legend Elmer Bernstein and is a classically trained composer with degrees in Composition and Recording Arts from the prestigious USC Thornton School of Music. McCreary's unique combination of atypical instrumental background (he is a professional accordionist) with rigorous classical training prepared him to compose in disparate genres.

This versatility is evident in the body of work McCreary has created including this year’s surprise hit The Walking Dead, Human Target (for which McCreary earned his first Emmy nomination), The Cape, Eureka, the film the Touchstone Pictures film Step Up 3D, and the SOCOM 4 and Dark Void videogames.

At the age of 24, Bear McCreary was launched into pop culture with his score for Battlestar Galactica, "the most innovative music on TV today" (Variety). Io9.com declared Bear McCreary one of the Ten Best Science Fiction Composers of all time, the only composer under 50 on the list (he is in his early 30s), and the only one recognized for his work in television._________________"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?." -Maximus

Here's a great video of Bear playing "Prelude to War" all by himself -- on the accordion.

Wow. And I'm not being ironic. My dad plays one of these things._________________I'm writing a novel in verse. 150 stanzas so far, 3 chapters completed, 41% the length of Onegin. Goal: 170 stanzas by December 31.

Our friends of MainTitles.Net were at the Ubeda festival last year and met Bear. They gave him a MainTitles kazoo and make him honorary member for this festival.

He replied he would use it somewhere in the Walking Dead Season 2 score. Here he is talking about that.

(Those who whent to the World Soundtracks Awards last year, maybe will recognize some of the Maintitles members you se in this video)_________________That's the beauty of music. They can't take that away from you. (Andy Dufresne)
Sirius' ConcertsRequestsNUTs & RATs

There's an acapella version of "All Along the Watchtower" which also impresses, though that wasn't in the book. I myself own a copy of the piano book. I've faked my way through a couple of the selections. Suffice to say my playing is not what it was 15 years ago._________________I'm writing a novel in verse. 150 stanzas so far, 3 chapters completed, 41% the length of Onegin. Goal: 170 stanzas by December 31.

And you can hear this piano album on AFM_________________There is no problem that can't be solve without any solution

mellowman
Captain

Joined: Sep 02, 2003
Member#: 2939
Posts: 1119
Location: UK

Posted:
Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:39 am Post subject:

Came across this piece of news about Bear McCreary. Sorry if it has been mentioned elsewhere.

Bear has started his own record label to release soundtracks (primarily his own) called Sparks and Shadows. You can read about it here.

The first releases are going to be: Defiance – TV Series and Video Game, Da Vinci’s Demons and Europa Report.

Sounds exciting to me - not least of which becuase Bear has said that he was a collector before he became a composer. He says he wants to 'push the boundaries further' and hopefully this can only be good for soundtrack fans.

JadedTitan
Vice Admiral (Moderator)

Joined: Oct 20, 2007
Member#: 19134
Posts: 674
Location: Arizona

Posted:
Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:28 am Post subject:

Bear to composer for the new Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show

EW News_________________The right song can turn an emperor into a laughing stock, can bring down dynasties. A song can last long after the events and people in it are dust and dreams are gone.

thejoyrider
Lieutenant Commander

Joined: Jan 19, 2005
Member#: 8986
Posts: 390
Location: UK

Posted:
Mon Jul 29, 2013 10:47 am Post subject:

Bear McCreary is scoring the AVGN movie, due end of 2013 / early 2014.

Code:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angry_Video_Game_Nerd:_The_Movie

Quote:

Bear McCreary, the composer for Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead, will compose the score for the film, having previously worked with Rolfe scoring the 2010 AVGN Christmas Special How The Nerd Stole Christmas. McCreary plans to incorporate elements of Kyle Justin's original AVGN Theme into the score, as well as create a new theme for the Nerd inspired by "The Raiders March".

Here's a little video about their collaboration...

_________________“Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”